


A Chance To Make A Choice

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Many Times Seto Kaiba Was In Debt To Joey Wheeler [13]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Car Accidents, Character Death, Graphic Description, M/M, Major Character Injury, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-13 18:37:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17493158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Seto can be extremely stubborn. Can Joey make him see something he is missing?





	A Chance To Make A Choice

Seto’s eyes snapped open and he sat up quickly. Staring blankly, he looked at the gravel road he was sitting on and frowned before getting up. Why was he lying in the middle of the street? Dusting himself off, he looked around and then started walking, eying the mostly empty shops and run down houses. As he walked by, no one even stopped to look at him. Many just kept going without even glancing his way and that was odd to him. For a man as powerful and rich as he, he was used to having eyes on him at all times. Now, it felt like they slid right past him, like he wasn’t even there. 

He continued on his way until he came across a convenience store. Figuring he could at least get some information, he went inside. The door was already open, so he walked right in. The teen girl behind the counter didn’t even look up as he entered, instead focusing on the magazine before her with her headphones blaring. He walked up to the counter and crossed his arms.

“Excuse me, but can you tell me where I am?” he demanded.

She ignored him and he raised an eyebrow. That was new. People didn’t usually ignore him.

“Miss, excuse me!” he called, but she continued to ignore him.

“EXCUSE ME!” he roared, but once again, she just turned the page and never looked up.

Scowling in absolute disgust, he turned and stormed off, only to run right into someone and fall over. Already highly annoyed, he looked up from his place on the ground and growled, only to stop.

“Mutt? What are you doing here?” he demanded as Joey held out his hand.

“I was out for a walk. Why are you out here?” Joey asked as Seto grabbed his hand and he was pulled to his feet.

“I…” he paused.

Why was he here? Where even was here? Had he been going somewhere? Why couldn’t he remember? He scowled and pulled his hand away, suddenly feeling very uneasy. It didn’t help that people still continued to walk pass them as if they weren’t blocking the street. Joey didn’t seem to notice or mind.

“I was out for a...walk as well.” Seto said finally.

He was not about to admit he had no idea where he was or why he was on the wrong side of town. Joey gave him a funny look, but said nothing. Why did it seem like Joey knew more than he let on?

“Anyway, I need to get home.” Seto muttered, reaching into his pocket.

He came up empty. His cellphone was gone. Checking all his pockets, he snarled and started walking, Joey following him with his hands in his pockets.

“I just need to get home.” Seto muttered again.

Yes, home. Home sounded really good right now. He just wanted to go to his room and sleep. Why was he so tired? Maybe he had stayed up all night again? That could explain it.

“Are you sure home is where you need to go?” Joey asked suddenly and Seto stopped.

He stared at the ground, frowning. He wanted to go home, but Joey was right. That wasn’t where he needed to go. In fact, it was the last place he needed to go. He had more important things than sleep to worry about.

“The office then. I need to go to the office. God, what time is it?” Seto muttered.

He continued walking, but the blocks suddenly seemed so long. Had they always been this long? No matter how long he walked or how fast, he didn’t seem to get anywhere and where had all the people gone? The streets suddenly seemed so very empty. And yet, Joey was right by his side the whole time, eyes on Seto, hands in his pockets, walking without even bothering to look forward.

“Do you really need to go there?” Joey asked simply and Seto stopped again.

“What do you mean? Of course I do! I have a company to run!” he snapped and Joey, well Joey just continued to look at him with those dark eyes of his.

“Are you sure about that? Do you need to go there or do you want to go there? Those are two very different things.” Joey said wisely.

Seto swallowed hard. He thought about all the places he could go, should go, needed to go: Kaibaland, the office, the mansion, Kame Shop, and yet, none of them seemed right. He realized, for all these places, he wanted to go there in same way, shape or form, but he wasn’t needed at any of those places. So where did he need to go right now? Joey started walking and Seto found himself following without a second thought.

“Sometimes, the place we want to go is not the same place as where we need to go.” Joey stated simply while Seto stared at him.

“Sometimes, the place where we need to go is not a place at all.” Joey stopped in front of a electronic store, it’s front window covered in different TVs.

Seto turned his attention to them and saw that each TV held a different person or place in his life. Yugi, Yami, Kaiba Corp, hell even Bakura had his own TV, but in the very middle, on the biggest screen of all was Mokuba, sitting in their living room at home. Seto’s eyes began to water as he placed his hand on Mokuba’s TV. He looked so peaceful, sitting there. Seto longed to sit beside him.

“And sometimes, the place where we need to be is not a place we want to go at all.” Joey said softly.

Suddenly all the TVs flashed and Seto felt horror fill his soul. All the TVs now acted as one big screen and all Seto saw was the words.

“Seto Kaiba Killed In Car Crash!” was the news story that filled the screens.

“No.” Seto whispered.

He watched as the road he had woken up on appeared on screen, his beautiful sports car little more than a pile of twisted metal in the middle of it. He vaguely could make out his own arm hanging out the window. Seto jerked back away from the screen and fell to the ground, eyes wide with horror. He heard the crunching of metal and turned his head. The very scene on the TVs was now directly off to his right. Where it had been once sidewalks and stores was now a scene of horror.

“NO!” he roared, but there was no escaping it.

He watched as the fire department pulled his own body from the wreck, as they placed him on a stretcher, as they covered his face with a white sheet. He watched as they discussed his death, possible suicide since he had crashed into a pole with no obvious reason for it. How they dismissed his death as another sad tragedy, but one soon forgotten. Seto could only watch, tears rolling down his face before a hand was on his shoulder. He looked at Joey, his eyes dark with sorrow.

“Things happen so fast in this world. Are you ready for them if they end too quickly? Who will be left behind if something happens to you?” Joey asked.

Seto turned his attention back to the TVs, that flickered once again with all the people and places he loved, but his eyes were solely on one person.

“Mokuba. I-I promised never to leave him.” Seto whispered.

“Promises like that are hard to keep and easily broken. Are you sure you are ready in case something happens?” Joey asked.

Seto locked eyes with Joey and he knew. Maybe he had known all along.

“Who are you?” Seto asked.

This wasn’t Joey, this wasn’t the third ranking duelist he knew. Whoever they were, they were here for a reason.

“Someone who was sent to help you make a choice. To remind you that there are more important things than places and items. So tell me, Seto Kaiba, have you protected the one thing that means the most?” Joey said simply.

 

Seto’s eyes snapped open and he jerked out of bed. He didn’t stop to put on a nightshirt or slippers. He bolted down the hall in his sleep pants to Mokuba’s room. Stopping just outside the door, he peeked his head in, noting that Mokuba was fast asleep in his bed. The trembling in his limbs was still there, but Mokuba was safe. He was safe. They both were safe.

Seto stumbled back and pressed his back against a wall before sliding to the floor. They were safe for now, but for how long? Dream Joey’s words still circled in his head and he knew he had to figure something out. If something happened to him, they had everything in place for the company to be taken over by Mokuba, but what would happen to Mokuba? That thought suddenly plagued him. 

Stumbling back to his room, he eyed the clock and sighed. It was almost three in the morning and yet, he knew there would be no getting back to sleep, not until he fixed this new problem. Instead, he grabbed his cell phone and sat on his bed. His mind raced with different numbers he could call. 

He thought about calling Roland, but the idea of leaving Mokuba in his hands almost made his sick. The man had dropped the ball too often recently for Seto to be comfortable with that. So, that was a no. 

He considered Yugi and knew the man would take Mokuba in without a second thought or care, but could Mokuba be happy living with the one man in this world that bested his brother? He doubted it. His mind flashed to someone else and he hit dial before he could think twice. It rang a few times before it clicked.

“I swear to god, Money-bags. You better have a damn good reason for waking me up at fucking three in the god damn, fucking morning.” Joey hissed on the other end, his voice groggy, but also pissed.

“If something happened to me, would you take care of Mokuba?” Seto asked quickly, cutting off the rant no doubt coming down the line.

There was silence on the other end of the phone before Joey spoke. He definitely sounded more awake.

“Money-bags, what’s going on? You in trouble or something?” Joey asked.

The concern in Joey’s tone was enough to warm his soul. He rubbed his eyes and tried not to tear up. God, he felt so emotional right now. That dream really had done a number on him.

“I’m fine, I just...need to know. If something happened to me, would you take care of Mokuba for me?” Seto asked.

Joey was quiet again, like he was trying to figure something out. Seto held his breath, what would he do if Joey said no? Who else could he trust with something this important?

“Of course I would. I would care for him like I take care of Serenity. Just like I would expect you to take care of Serenity if something happened to me.” Joey said finally and the weight on Seto’s shoulders lifted, if only a little bit.

“Seriously Money-bags, you are freaking me out here. Everything ok?” Joey asked when the silence continued.

“Yes, I just...needed to know Mokuba was going to be ok if something happened to me.” Seto whispered.

“Hey, listen, you are going to be fine, ok? You and Mokuba are going to be fine. So just get some sleep ok and I will kick your ass for this the next time we meet.” Joey said simply and Seto nodded, despite Joey not being able to see it.

“Fine, Mutt. Good night.” he said.

Joey said good night as well before hanging up. Maybe it was stupid of him and maybe Joey would make fun of him for it in the future, but for now, it calmed his nerves and he was able to close his eyes for a few more hours. This time, his dreams were peaceful.


End file.
